Winfield-Hill’s 83 leads Northern Diamonds to victory over Western Storm
Northern Diamonds 281 for 3 (Winfield-Hill 83, Dobson 68*) beat Western Storm 250 for 7 (Luff 87, Wraith 61, Wilson 57) by 31 runs
Lauren Winfield-Hill scored a beautifully-crafted innings of 83 as Northern Diamonds defeated Western Storm by 31 runs at Taunton’s Cooper Associates Ground to finish a four-match dropping streak within the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
Winfield-Hill staged an outstanding opening stand of 101 with Sterre Kalis and added 76 for the second wicket in partnership with Hollie Armitage, earlier than Leah Dobson produced a hard-hitting 68 to propel the guests to 281 for 3 in a match decreased to 43 overs-a-side by morning rain.
The decide of the Storm bowlers, Mollie Robbins, took 2 for 41 and ran out Kalis, however she lacked ample assist as Diamonds’ prime and center order known as the photographs on a very good batting observe.
Required to attain at seven an over, the house facet remained within the hunt due to Fran Wilson and Sophie Luff, who each raised half-centuries and staged a stand of 107 for the third wicket. Skipper Luff went onto prime rating with 87 from 105 balls, whereas Nat Wraith made a brisk 61 in a dropping trigger.
Yet bottom-of-the-table Storm have been at all times chasing the sport and so they finally got here up quick on 250 for 7 within the face of probing leg spin from Armitage and Katie Levick, who claimed three wickets between them to construct essential stress in the course of the center overs.
Diamonds got here into this contest having gained their three earlier matches towards Storm within the 50-over competitors and so they batted with the authority that comes solely from supreme confidence after being inserted beneath leaden skies. Once Winfield-Hill and Kalis had safely negotiated early motion off a drying pitch and seen off Robbins, northern dominance went largely unchecked.
Matching each other blow for blow, the openers staged a worthwhile stand of 101 in 17.3 overs to set the tone, taking full benefit of a Storm seam assault weakened by the absence of England call-ups Lauren Filer and Dani Gibson. When the house facet did lastly handle to impact a breakthrough, it got here as a shock, Kalis being run out by Robbins’ startling direct hit from sq. leg and departing for a 47-ball 45, a sturdy innings adorned by six fours.
Unperturbed by the lack of her accomplice, the fluent Winfield-Hill went to 50 through 65 balls earlier than settling right into a supporting position alongside the hard-hitting Armitage. In bullish temper following an unbeaten hundred towards Southern Vipers final outing, Diamonds’ in-form skipper carried on the place she left off, putting the ball cleanly as she known as the photographs in a progressive second-wicket alliance of 76 in 12.2 overs.
Intent upon forcing her means into the England squad for the winter tour of New Zealand, Armitage hoisted Chloe Skelton’s off spin over long-on for six and struck 5 additional boundaries as she marched to 45 from 48 balls. A half century appeared hers for the taking when she unaccountably drove the returning Robbins to deep mid-wicket within the thirtieth over.
Winfield-Hill had scarcely put a foot unsuitable in compiling 83 and regarded set to achieve three figures, solely to then drive Robbins to cowl level, having confronted 91 balls and struck 10 fours. Diamonds have been 188 for 3, with Storm sensing a possibility to rein them in.
But Dobson rapidly squashed any notion of a fightback, flailing a tiring assault to all elements in an aggressive cameo that carried the guests out of sight. Striking the ball with spectacular ferocity, the 22-year-old Scarborough-born batter plundered 14 off one Gemma Lane over and hoisted Niamh Holland’s first supply over sq. leg for an enormous six on her solution to a 44-ball half century.
It was altogether an excessive amount of for the fielding facet, Storm subsiding beneath intense stress as Dobson and Emma Marlow staged an unbroken partnership of 93 in 9.5 overs for the fourth wicket. Taking full benefit of the platform offered for her by the highest three, Dobson completed on 68 not out from 50 balls, with a six and 9 fours, whereas Marlow contributed an unbeaten 23 at barely higher than a run-a-ball as Diamonds ran up an imposing complete.
If the house facet have been to problem that rating, they wanted a very good begin, In the occasion, openers Alex Griffiths and Emma Corney departed inside 5 overs as Lizzie Scott and Sophia Turner made early inroads.
Up towards it from the outset, the skilled pair of Luff and Wilson demonstrated cool heads in a disaster and admirable resolve to haul their group again into rivalry in a restorative alliance of 107 the third wicket. Adept at punishing the poor ball, these two discovered the boundary rope typically sufficient to maintain the required price beneath eight, within the course of elevating three figures in 20 overs and asking questions of the bowlers.
Wilson was first to 50, the previous World Cup winner reaching that landmark from 49 balls, whereas Luff required 24 deliveries extra to carry up her half-century, because the stand handed 100. Diamonds wanted a breakthrough and legspinner Armitage offered it within the twenty fourth over, inducing Wilson to top-edge a catch to level and depart for 57 with the rating on 124. With 158 runs required at 8.54 an over, a tall order turned nonetheless extra daunting when Holland succumbed to Levick’s leg breaks.
Refusing to throw within the towel, Wraith joined Luff in a defiant partnership of 69 for the fifth wicket to maintain the competition alive. But Storm’s final life like likelihood disappeared with Luff, who was stumped off the bowling of Levick with a notional 78 nonetheless wanted from 39 balls.